It's a cooperation project with BMW that also yielded the new Z4, but it's not badge engineered. In fact, the two cars grew farther apart during the development process as Toyota set out to create a more focused sports car, and BMW more of a grand tourer-although the two cars did swing back again to meet more in the middle by the end.
In terms of structure and engine, it's basically a BMW. The chassis, 3.0-liter turbo straight-six engine, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox are all from Munich. Toyota says that for the Supra, the engine's software is proprietary Japanese stuff, and Tada's engineering team speak openly of it being a BMW engine.
it's not unfair to wonder if a BMW engine will be as bulletproof as a Toyota engine-but was told that it's covered by the usual Toyota warranty, so that should be enough (although one official did admit that there were some "long discussions" with the warranty department over it).
It's a very compact two-seat coupe, with tightly-drawn bodywork, a double-bubble roof to liberate helmet-space for anyone of Dan Gurney size, and from what we can see under the tape, styling that sticks very closely indeed to that of the FT-1 concept car.
It's rear-wheel drive, of course, and uses double-wishbone suspension at the front and a multi-link rear end. There's no transaxle (too much weight, says Tada) but there are optional adaptive dampers, constant-rate steering, and a pretty simple Normal and Sport electronic setup.
You drop into the cockpit through shallow doors, but getting in and out isn't unusually difficult. This is no Lotus Exige. The cabin is snug, but sufficiently roomy in its two-seat layout for two tall passengers. Unlike past Supras, it's a pure sports car, with no back seat. I'm a hair over six-feet tall and I fit very comfortably, bar the bucket seat being a touch snug around by over-padded back.
Much of the interior seems like a straight lift from the BMW Z4, although Toyota claims that the cabin is unique to the Supra. I'm not convinced yet. As our test cars were engineering prototypes, all but the most vital dials and buttons were covered with heavy felt panels-a fun thing to look at when you're speeding down a track-but peering behind those then the PR minders weren't looking showed a lot of BMW-style switches, buttons and even the rotary iDrive controller.
The steering wheel and shift paddles for the eight-speed auto look and feel very BMW, and even the digital displays speak to you in German. The main visual difference between this cabin and that of the Z4 is that the Toyota's main instrument pack and central infotainment screen are separate units, rather than being conjoined as in the Bimmer.
Thumbing a silver button behind the steering wheel brings the straight-six to discreet life. We're starting in Normal mode, so no artificial rev-blare on startup here. Early morning runs in your Supra will not disturb the neighbors.
Toyota says that 90 percent of the Supra's development work has taken place on public roads, rather than race tracks, and boy does it show in the ride quality. The Supra rides with a calm precision, the dampers and springs taking the edge off sharp impacts, speed humps, the odd pothole, but without a hint of flop or roll.
A little bit of communication from the front Michelins, but largely it's like most electric power steering setups - well weighted, but not bursting with feel. In fact, it feels a touch like the setup you'd get on a Le Mans racer. Enough feel to keep you confident, not so much, nor so much weight, that it'll leave you feeling tired. In fact, given the light steering, the comfy ride, and the reasonably roomy cabin, the Supra is starting to feel more like a cosseting GT than a hard-edged sports car.
Click the button on the center console for Sport mode, and the Supra doesn't seem to change its attitude all that much, but it does come a little more to life. Certainly, the engine does. Where before there was creamy smoothness, now there is a stentorian roar, not entirely unlike an old-school Porsche flat-six when you get it past 5,000 rpm.
4.5-second 0-60 mph time or thereabouts-but it has deep reserves of power.
About 340 HP is my educated guess, and the more you press, the more the Supra piles on the speed. We learned today the U.S.-spec Z4 will get 382 HP and 369 lb-ft of torque. Take that as you will here.
Toyota hasn't made any hardware changes to the engine, just software, so it should be pretty similar. The engineers clam right up when you ask-they just say homologation isn't finished yet.
Will one of those updates be a manual gearbox? Don't hold your breath. "While we know that a manual gives you more joy when driving," Tada said, it's just not that simple. The engine has a high torque output, and getting a manual to deal with that means having a heavier shift quality, which Tada doesn't want.
Engineering the sort of manual that could cope with the torque, but shift like a Miata, would cost lots. Tada says he wants to make the Supra "accessible to the fans, to keep it at an affordable price point," so extra budget for a manual could skew that equation.
A lot of green for a car with a Toyota badge, for sure, but then the Supra was developed, officially, as a "Porsche-killer," and so you could see it as something of a bargain.
So then, the new Supra is a car that handles like a Cayman, goes like a V8 Mustang, sounds not unlike a 911, and should-should-have the quality of a Camry given that Toyota's been working on it so long. We still need to see the final, finished, car to be certain, and see the full technical specification, but at long last the new Supra is looking like it was worth the wait.
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